Pessary



J. A. HUBBLE. PESSARY.

No. 525,785. Patented Sept. 11, 1894.

WITVNESSES: nvwmron ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PEYERS c0. PHOYO-LITHO.. mamuomn. u, c.

NITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

PESSARY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 525,785, dated September 11, 1894.

Application filed April 2,1894. Serial No. 506,094. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

I Ije it known that I, JULIAN A. HURDLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pessaries, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an inflatable and collapsible pessary the whole connected with automatic cut-off air valves, all of which will be fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

It is a well known fact that many females of the present generation suffer excruciating pain by the falling of the womb, which is caused, in many cases, by the weakness of the ligaments which give way to the weight of the womb and thus pull down upon the fallopian tubes, thereby causing great distress and pain and ultimately prostrating the whole physical structure beyond reparation.

Many devices have been made for supporting the womb in proper position, but they have been of such a construction as to cause great distress and pain while adjusting them, and likewise when removing them. I propose to obviate these objections and produce a device that any female can adjust without the aid of others, and which will support the womb and hold it in position during the daily exercise of the person wearing it.

My invention consists of an inflatable and collapsible pessary made of any suitable material and of any desirable conformation. I prefer to have them made of rubber, although they could be made of oiled silk and other textile fabrics. The whole may be connected with automatic cut-off air valves, all of which will befully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claim.

The figure represents a vertical section of a pessary inflated. In this figure it is shown how the conformation may be produced and the manner in which it is inflated.

Letter a, represents the body of the pessary in an inflated condition. I) is the lower and c the upper lobe thereof.

(1 is a silk thread or fine wire properly connected at the top of the upper lobe, from which it depends to and through the air duct e to which it is fastened. It will be observed that this air duct is held within the neck f of the pessary and air tube 9, the latter of which is in turn connected with an automatic air ball valve h. The lower end iof the structure containing the valve is screw-threaded, and is adapted to receive a removable corresponding device connected with an air tube 70 of proper length, with the free end of which is connected a proper mouth-piece Z, handpump or bellows.

I have found by experimental test that it will, in many cases, be necessary to reinforce difierent parts of the pessary in order to have it hold its conformation when resisting pressure brought to bear upon it.

It will be obvious that many shapes will be required as there are conditions that will demand it. I therefore, do not lay great stress upon any particular form.

Mode of operation: In order for the patient to properly adjust the pessary the following steps are necessary to be taken: First, the

tube 70 must be connected with the lower end of the structure containing the air ball valve, and the pessary must bein a collapsed condition. The patient will then lie on her back upon an incline sufficient to elevate the lower portion of the body, and, while in this position, she must spread her limbs apart and move them outwardly and inwardly several times thus enabling the womb to fall back. The pessary should then, in its collapsed condition, be pressed through the vagina and into the channel leading to the womb, until but a small portion of the neck f protrudes. Then place the mouth-piece Z to the mouth and blow until the pessary is properly inflated which can be inferred by the sense of feeling.

It will be obvious that when the air enters the valve it will cause the ball to ascend and allow the air to pass into the pessary. When the pressure of air is relaxed from beneath the ball the pressure Within will cause it to descend to its seat thus cutting off the air and preventing its escape. The tube 1c can, after the pessary shall have been inflated, be removed, and a small screw cap a is then placed over the lower end of the structure containing the air ball valve. Whenever the patient desires to remove the pessary, she has only to remove the small screw cap 12. and with it press on the protruding point, which operation elevates the ball and allows the air to escape thus causing the pessary tocollapse when it may be easily removed The patient need notbe confined to this method of inflating the pessary, as she may use an ordinary hand-pump or bellows which will produce the same result. Whenever salve or medicated liquids are to be applied to the womb, the patient while lying on the inclined plane, can insert the salve or liquids after which the pessary is applied and then inflated, which results in holding the medicated substances within their proper place.

I am aware that pessaries have heretofore been made to expand but I am not aware that they were provided with means that would support the womb without interfering in any way with the ulcerated mouth thereof. This objection is obviated by my invention which allows themouth of the wombto rest in space thus preventing constant irritation of the ulcerated portions thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

7 York this 6th day of January, A. D. 1894.

JULIAN A. HURDLE. \Vitnesses:

THOS. F. CONREY, STUART S. TAYLOR. 

